Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahnis a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international airport in Bangkok, Thailand...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionArchitect
Date of Birth4 January 1940
CountryGermany
fun
For me, though, the fun is over when I get the job.
next prepared success
Success on one project does not necessarily mean success in the next project. You've got to be prepared in everything you do.
developer skyscraper terms whom
I think there will be a 200-story skyscraper someday. However, it will require a developer who will not think in conventional terms and for whom economic restraints won't apply.
endeavor takes totally work
When I work, I work very hard. When I don't work, I have to do something where my endeavor can totally take me off what I do professionally, like sailing. It takes all your attention.
life rainy travel work
Working is actually a pleasure. It's just very time-consuming. It's a way of life. I find that I can work when I travel and work when I run. There is nothing like, on a rainy day, to work.
consider guy works
I don't consider myself a star or a celebrity. I'm a simple guy who works a lot.
machine work
We want our buildings to work like a machine that will create a pleasurable environment.
afford buy car certain clothes drive money nice spent travel
I used to buy nice clothes and drive a nice car when I couldn't afford it. But I spent all my money doing it, and now I don't have to. I like nice things. I like to travel in a certain style. I like to live in a nice place.
In Europe, they're more demanding, the ones that rent the build ings.
people chinese farce
You don't know what the Chinese expect in the way of beauty. The presentation is just a farce. You come into a room filled with 50 people and they don't talk to you. There's very little interaction.
thinking coincidence working-it
When I think of some of my earlier work, it really seems a fortunate coincidence that I succeeded.
china firm sells
German and English firms operate internationally, while French firms do not. The only place where they all have work is in China. Anybody can sell himself in China!
thinking drawing vices
For me, drawing generates thinking and vice versa.
integrity ambition usa
The architecture profession has lost a lot of its integrity, especially in the USA. The general architect here has no scruples, no ambitions.